Join a public relations student organization and seek leadership roles.

General Information and Strategies

For advertising management positions, courses should include marketing, consumer behavior, and market research.

Obtain as much relevant experience while in school as possible, paid or unpaid.

A portfolio is a must have in this industry and should include work that demonstrates writing and design ability, as well as marketing sense. Save work throughout the course of your studies and employment to be used for a portfolio. It is better to have too much to choose from instead of too little.

Overall, individuals in the advertising area need to be excellent communicators, good listeners, team players, professional, hard working, creative, flexible, and enthusiastic.

Start exploring and analyzing a variety of ad campaigns you like and be able to explain what is good about them and how they target a particular audience.

Most advertising positions are filled by promoting experienced staff. Be willing to start in an entry-level position in order to get your foot in the door.

Be willing to relocate to larger markets such as New York, Chicago or Los Angeles for more job opportunities.

Try various routes to find a job in this field: apply directly to an agency, join an in-house advertising department, take a job in a separate department while learning company procedures and advertising department staff, join a support resource group or take a chance and freelance.

When choosing an employer consider the size of the firm, location, client list, and type of advertising involved.

You may need additional areas of expertise for newspaper or television, such as printing and photography.